According to Shan Xisheng Fufengyixian Tuzhi, his style name was Bózhān (伯瞻); the historical authenticity of this text is highly questionable and improbable, thus the name is not widely accepted by historians. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was possibly born in 183 and died in 235.

Ma Dai (onyomi: Ba Tai) is Ma Chao's cousin who is best known for slaying Wei Yan. Romance of the Three Kingdoms instead portrays him as a faithful retainer who previously served Ma Teng and is Ma Chao's constant companion. His proclamation the moment before he kills Wei Yan is often quoted in Three Kingdoms media.

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Ma Dai is considered to be Ma Chao's loyal and faithful cousin throughout the Dynasty Warriors series. He first appears with his cousin at Tong Gate and is often the only general to continue serving Ma Chao after Han Sui's defection. He continues to follow Ma Chao into Shu and occasionally appears next to Wei Yan during the kingdom's final battles. If Shu tries to exterminate Wei Yan in his Legend Mode during Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, Ma Dai is the general closest to attacking the "traitor". He can be played in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires as a light officer with no attributes.

His playable appearance in Dynasty Warriors 7 follows his basic history from previous ports, stating that he followed Ma Chao after Cao Cao's attack. He is seen fighting beside Ma Chao in Story Mode, acting as his cousin's support in his campaigns. Although Sima Zhao struck him down during one of Shu's later invasions in Wei, Ma Dai recovers to keep participating in future attacks. In their final battle at Chengdu, Ma Dai dies with the other Shu defenders in battle.

In his first Legendary Battle, Ma Dai aids Ma Chao in defeating Cao Cao at Tong Gate. His second Legendary Battle is the Battle of Mt. Qi where he aids Zhuge Liang in launching a counterattack on the Wei forces.

The Xtreme Legends expansion has Ma Dai's Hero Scenario take place at Wu Zhang Plains. Jiang Wei orders a withdraw after Zhuge Liang's death, but Wei Yan disobeys the command and charges towards the enemy. Since they cannot afford to lose the valued general, Ma Dai is ordered to search and retrieve Wei Yan. Although members in the Shu army have their doubts regarding Wei Yan's allegiances, the young general remain optimistic and is intent on rescuing his comrade from danger. He does so after he helps ally troops repel the Wei army, eventually locating Wei Yan at the Wei main camp. Wei Yan charged in alone to try to assassinate Sima Shi.

As Sima Shi flees, Ma Dai stops Wei Yan from pursuing and asks why he is so reckless in battle. Continuing from his earlier reply to Ma Dai, the masked warrior answers that he wants to create a "world of benevolence" by himself since Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei are no longer alive to make it happen. An exasperated Ma Dai explains that those remaining in Shu still have a chance to fulfill this dream, since they carry on their commanders' will. He emphasizes that it can work if everyone works together to make it happen, which Wei Yan seems to understand.

Ma Dai makes his appearance in Dynasty Warriors Next as a member of Liu Bei's army alongside Ma Chao after the formation of Shu. During the Battle of Wuzhang Plains, he helps Zhuge Liang infiltrate Wei's supply base by directing him to a nearby cliff above it. He also outlives his cousin by appearing in Jin's chapter.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Ma Dai reprises his role from the previous installment, fighting alongside Ma Chao. Joining Shu, he fights at Mt. Dingjun and the Wuzhang Plains. In the hypothetical route, Ma Dai helps Jiang Wei in invading Luoyang.

In Shu's expanded storyline, Ma Dai appears at the altered Hanzhong and Yiling campaigns, and leads reinforcements for Liu Shan at Yong'an. In Wei's storyline, he appears with Ma Chao after their success at Tong Gate, and their subsequent invasion of Chang'an. He also appears in the altered Hanzhong campaign and at Zitong, where he charges the Wei army in both scenarios. In Wu's story, he still appears at Yiling recurring the same role as with the historical battle. In Jin's story, he appears in Zhuge Liang's invasion of Shangyong.

In the original time line in Warriors Orochi 3, Ma Dai sacrificed himself so his cousin could safely escape Kiyomori's resurrected army. A future Ma Chao and his partners rescue him from his demise at Yiling. He helps the plot to save Huang Zhong by helping to clear the serpent army encampment at Tedorigawa and assists the treasure hunt at Taoshui.

During Wei's story in Kessen II, he fights for his cousin's cause at Tong Gate and is one of the generals who leads an active assault. Presumably after the battle, the cousins lose sight of one another and reunite later. Ma Chao values his kinsmen and proclaims him as a "brother". During Shu's story, Ma Dai may join at his cousin's behest when they face Cai Wengi. Alternatively, he can be lost in a desert mirage created by Zhuge Liang and he continues to fight with her when he escapes. Compared to his other counterparts, Ma Dai is childish and pouts to the orders given to him. He cheerfully refers to his cousin as "Brother Ma Chao".

He leads a similar unit as Ma Chao except he has a weaker War rating and limited use of magic.

When thinking of figures in Three Kingdoms fiction who are popularly known for being close to Ma Chao, Ma Dai is usually the first one people name. Therefore, he was added into the cast. The focus for his design, which became his trademark with developers, was "That stylish hat!" He is the first Warriors character to be designed completely based on their headwear. He was given wavy hair to try to imply his western plain land origins. His magical paintbrush is supposed to personify his unexpected dark side that is hidden underneath his cheery persona.

Ma Dai gains respect and trust with his common sunny deposition. Occasionally he childishly pouts aloud when something displeases him, yet Ma Dai always brightens to look onward to the future. Honest with his thoughts, he wants to emphasize the positives in life to his comrades. He is the easy-going contrast to his serious cousin, who he affectionately refers to as his "young master" (若, Waka). Despite his seemingly innocent cheerfulness, he takes his duties to heart and is not afraid of taking someone's life or losing his own if it means protecting Ma Chao or his country. Ma Dai can show his true nature with dead seriousness and maturity, dropping the usual lively tone in his voice for a rare and strikingly brief moment.

He is mainly seen trying to cheer up his brooding cousin or Wei Yan, but he also shares a bit of a kinship with Pang De. Ma Dai considers him a talented general who he used to idolize for his ferocity and composure, though his respect is fractured when Pang De chooses to side with Wei. Zhuge Liang also places his absolute faith in him. He forms a bond with Kunoichi in his Warriors Orochi appearance, respecting her fun-loving conduct with her duties. Ma Dai even hurries to her rescue before she accepts her fall to a brainwashed Yukimura.

The original name for his fourth ranked weapon in Warriors Orochi 3 names a roaring divine hound. The same canine is known as Erlang Shen's animal companion and one of his trusted weapons in Chinese literature.

Ma Dai is affiliated with a brush in this appearance. When he is equipped with it, he can perform a unique attack exclusive to him. Upon performing his Musou techniques, he will automatically use the weapon in his attacks.

EX Attack: , , , , , , : Spins his brush several times over his head then does an upward slash which will detonate any remaining ink orbs on the field. Dubs the attack as "Senpūjin" (旋風陣, Whirlwind Array) in the Japanese versions.

Musou - Inkbomb (疾風弾): : Creates a large orb of ink in front of him, then sends it forward, hitting a large area of enemies. Used in Warriors Orochi 3.

Alternate Musou - Painter's Fury (烈風閃): R1 + : Creates a ring of ink at his side and sends it forward. Classified as a Multi-strike Musou in Next.

Dynasty Warriors Next

Speed Musou - Mental: Tap both sides of screen: Conjures a large sphere of ink that can be manipulated at any direction within Ma Dai's reach. At the end of the attack, Ma Dai causes the ink to explode into a painted dragon by stomping his foot on the ground.

Warriors Orochi 3

, : Releases two ink balls that create dragon images upon coming in contact with an enemy or the ground.

R1: Waves brush around to raise attack power temporarily.

, R1 (Ultimate only): Produces several ink balls in a straight line and turns them into dragon images upon landing.

Awakening Musou: Loops weapon around to create ink blasts imprinted with tiger images. It ends with the creation of a dragon image turning into a ball of ink swung by Ma Dai. The extended version has him create phoenix images by swinging weapon in a swift vertical angle, adding an extra tiger ink blast near the end which serves to juggle the enemy even more.

Ma Dai is Ma Chao's younger cousin who is mentioned in the Record of the Three Kingdoms. His earlier history remains unknown and he isn't mentioned until Ma Chao was dying in 222. His cousin said, "I am among the 200 people who survived Mengde's (Cao Cao's) cruelty, yet it is Ma Dai who will remain. I entrust him to faithfully serve His Majesty (Liu Bei) and preserve our family." When Ma Chao passed away, Ma Dai was given the rank of General Who Pacifies the North and was named Marquis of Chencang.

After Zhuge Liang died of illness, Wei Yan and Yang Yi were mutually hostile towards one another. When rumors of Wei Yan's defection reached Liu Shan's ears, Ma Dai was ordered to slay the betrayer. According to the Record of the Three Kingdoms and the Book of Jin, Ma Dai killed Wei Yan during the latter's escape. There are no accounts of him being rewarded for his deed.

His last mention in historical records is 235, in which he and his army invaded Wei. He was defeated by Niu Jin and fled after his army was cut down to 1,000 men.

In the novel, Ma Dai is depicted as a positive supporting character. He accompanied Ma Teng to the capital and escaped from his uncle's execution through a disguise. He returned to Ma Chao and participated in his cousin's battles. He followed Ma Chao into Liu Bei's services.

Zhuge Liang formally dubbed him as a vassal of Shu during the Northern Campaigns and Southern Campaign. He participated in a few of Zhuge Liang's plans, some of which includes ambushing Sun Li's troops and slaying the fictional Chen Zao. After the strategist's death, Ma Dai foresaw Wei Yan's betrayal thanks to a secret plan left behind to him by Zhuge Liang. According to the strategist's instructions, he was to feign loyalty to Wei Yan's cause and gain his favor. Ma Dai would only strike his former comrade down when Wei Yan would yell, "Who dares to slay me!?" True enough, Wei Yan did proclaim the same words and Ma Dai acted accordingly, dispatching the traitor by striking his back. Ma Dai was rewarded with the ranks that Wei Yan abandoned and earned respect as a loyal subject. Since he disappears from the novel after this deed, some readers speculate that Ma Dai quietly succumbed to illness and died soon after.